Infinity Ward is closing the first weekend of the Modern Warfare 4 early access beta, taking servers offline at 10AM PT on August 25 before the open beta begins Friday, August 28 at 10AM PT. The studio says daily updates have been deployed throughout the beta, targeting community concerns about spawns, time-to-kill, and movement.
In the latest patch notes, the team confirmed adjustments that increase the minimum TTK for several weapons, alongside reductions to footstep volume and a tweak to boost visibility on Transit 213. Attachment descriptions were corrected after many “Cons” were displayed inaccurately, and penalties were removed from some optics and underbarrels. Developers acknowledged that spawn logic still needs work, describing the beta as essential for spotting patterns across a large volume of matches.
The open beta will raise the level cap from 20 to 30, add new rewards, maps, and modes, and introduce the first Warzone Resurgence map called Zodiac, set around a drone assembly and manufacturing headquarters. For the first time in a Call of Duty beta, players will also get to play a full campaign mission, Entrenched, which involves a large-scale assault to prevent a nuclear power station from falling into enemy hands.
Early impressions from The Guardian praised the gunplay, singling out the Han 86 assault rifle and the lethal KG-7 Vulcan sniper rifle. The new movement system, which replaces Black Ops 6’s omni-movement, was described as fluid but open to abuse, with players skidding and leaping around maps. One reviewer called the experience a “cognitive cacophony,” noting that time-to-engagement is measured in microseconds and the action never stops.
New modes include Kill Block, a modular training facility that reconfigures between rounds to create over 500 possible layouts, and Hijack, a mode where teams fight to plant a Data Spike. Six core 6v6 maps are available, including Rooftops, Silkworm, and Lotus, while Ground War returns with 24v24 combat on Imjin Farmland and Wolves Stadium. The beta also includes eight rewards that carry over to launch, such as the Dread Tiger Operator Skin for Reece.
Modern Warfare 4 arrives in a crowded market. Black Ops 7 performed poorly, and Grand Theft Auto 6 is set to dominate the autumn season. The beta suggests the franchise still delivers its signature intensity, but the full game faces tougher competition than ever when it launches on October 23.
